(Closed) HELP! The whole wedding was planned to perfection… or so we thought!

Hey Bees! I’ve been a passive observer on here for quite some time, but this latest development in weddingland has made me realize, hey wait! there’s a whole community of Bees out there who will get what I’m dealing with… YAY! Ask for help!

Mr Rocky point and I have been planning our wedding for over a year. Long before we were engaged we had already decided on a theme, colors, attendants, food… almost everything. I even bought my GORGEOUS Alfred Angelo gown 5 months prior to our engagement because it was “soooo perfect”.

“The Plan” was to have a vintage-feeling but still quirky and fun, sort-of carnival-ish, Rocky Point inspired party infused with all of our local Rhode Island favorite things. What this equated to IRL was a receprion at The Towers in Narragansett, catered by a local restaurant (voted RI’s Best chowder and clam cakes for several years), a photobooth, old-time suspender pants with bowties and bowler hats for the guys, Del’s lemonade for teh guests, and a classic RI meal: clam cakes, stuffies and chowder. The tables were to be named after rides from Rocky Point Park, the now closed-down classic in Warwick RI.

My gown was ivory, strapless, satin with organza overlay and little flowers all over it – dense at the top, getting less dense as they travel down the dress to the hem. Elegant but fun….. it was the first thing to go. I had repeated reservations about the dress, starting a month or so after our engagement. Eventually, i went to try it on at my Dad’s house where it was being stored, and while I was surrounded by my mother, stepmother, stepsis/BM, Dad, and Maid/Matron of Honor, I declared, “Eh, its pretty” and that was that. The dress search began anew. I soon found another perfect dress 🙂 A deep v-neck, open-back, lace overlay copy of ML’s “Ingrid”. I was too scared to order the dress during the trunk sale in June, but the shop assured me they woudl be getting their own sample of this dress in the fall. So, I plan to order it once I try it on again. Crisis averted.

Now, Mr. Repost and I have decided that the Towers (to whom we have already given a deposit) no longer fits our needs. with a 4.5 hour limit on alcohol service, and entertainment required to shut down 30mins prior to the end of the event, not to mention higher hotel prices and longer drive times for all, and teh need for a shuttle d/t lack of parking and beach traffic, the Towers was looking not so perfect for us after all 🙁 So now, we’re looking at the CP’s “garden pavillion or Atrium room in Warwick…. OR Chelo’s on teh waterfront in East Greenwich. Both of these venues are great looking, we are just waiting on final estimates.

So what’s the problem, you want to know? Partly, i just need to get some of this overwhelmed feeling and guilt over having an extra dress and now an extra venue, off my chest. I also am starting to rethink the whole wedding based on a new venue. I’m thinknig about how I could save $800-900 by buying a gown from another bride on CL, maybe I should change the whole style of my invites, do i need chair sashes? is my dress going to be too fancy or too dainty? Should I pay extra for a floor in the tent so people’s heels don’t stick in the grass and pull their shoes off? Maybe I shoudl just provide some flip flops form the dollar store for people? What about the candy buffet? AARARgagGHgaharrr!

Bees! Tell me, have you had cold feet about your PLAN? What did you do?

Hey, maybe I can help. We got married in Narragansett last year and Used Chelo’s catering. First of all, Lori (who I assume you are working with) is amazing to work with and the clam cakes and chowder were delicious. I’m not sure how flexible you are on your date or what your numbers look like but another Narraganset option is the Northbeach clubhouse where you can have parking and extended hours (more so if you are out of peak summer season). As this is also a town owned property, maybe you could move your deposit? We used an airport hotel and provided a shuttle which was more cost efficient for our guests even though it cost us more for the bus rental, we decided it was worth it to avoid beach hotel prices for our guests. If you have questions about specific vendors feel free to PM me. We were beyond happy with our DJs who are out of Warwick.

@slicey19: Thank you! Yes, I have been working with Lori, but now she is gone and I have someone else who is very nice but does not seem as knowledgable or confident as Lori did. My concern about the Towers is that there will simply not be enough room. At this point, Mr Repost has made a strong argument, and opinion (which is rare) that he REALLY like Chelos on teh Waterfront, but we’re gonna check out the Crowne Plaza next week too, because they have a coupld of gorgeous spaces too. Only bummer about that would be that Chelos would be out. All the vendors and details are already arranged, the only change would be venue (and cooks, if we go with the CP) The North Clubhouse is too small for our party, and would still have the time constraints of the Towers….. Problem is, in changing the venue, now I am getting worried that my dress (ML’s Ingrid) is oing to be too fancy, and that I shoudl find a new one, or that people will not dress up because its outside, or be uncomfortable in heels (its a lawn at Chelos) but I thought about providing some flip flops for people to throw on if they so choose, you know if their heels keep sinking or something… the dance floor will be hard though

I’m supposed to get married on Saturday in the Catskills. The region experienced flash floods and entire towns were washed away. We don’t know what the state of our venue is yet because the owner can’t access it due to closed roads. We are trying to figure out if we need to find a new location with 5 days notice, and we have no idea what our insurance policy will cover.

Date twin! I have had many instances of cold feet regarding the plans I’ve made. Luckily, I didn’t put a deposit down on any venue until today and I am confident this is the place for us. There are several things I wish I could change about the venue, but can’t, so I’ll just accept it.

As far as cutting costs, there is no guidebook that says your wedding can’t be great if you purchase a second-hand gown. My gown was purchased from a consignment shop. I didn’t see the rationality in spending $1000 on something I will definitely never wear again.